Admirals from the United States Merchant Marine Academy presented a $1.02 billion campus modernization plan to the Village of Kings Point Board of Trustees at its Wednesday, Feb. 11, meeting.
Congress has authorized $50 billion for Fiscal Year 2026, and USMMA expects the project to take 10 to 15 years to implement.
“The Academy is in an exciting place,” said Rear Admiral Tony Ceraolo. It plans to create “a fully modernized campus that is in the 21st century,” he said.
Admiral John Shea, the director of facilities and infrastructure for the USMMA, said a survey of the campus was conducted, and that the campus has undergone minor renovations since its establishment in 1943.
Shea said that no buildings were rated “green,” meaning they were in good condition; many were rated “yellow,” meaning they needed improvements, and “most were rated red,” meaning they are “no longer of use.”
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has already dispatched engineers to begin the project.
Under the plan, at least eight new buildings are proposed, including a large fieldhouse, new faculty housing, a new academic center, a new midshipmen activity center, and a new mariner training center.
Five buildings are proposed for demolition, and at least 17 for renovation.
“This is a lot bigger project than I thought, and it does impact the village,” Mayor Kouros Torkan said. “We will have to discuss this with you a lot.”
The projects that have already begun are the demolition of 307 Steamboat Road, the renovation of Samuels Hall, seawall replacement, Hague basin dredging, the upgrades of Fulton and Gibbs Hall, and the construction of a new athletic fieldhouse.
Shea and Ceraolo heard concerns and suggestions from the board and residents at the meeting.
“You may want to consider [adding] some sort of fire protection so you don’t have to rely on ours,” Trustee Ebi Victory suggested.
A Kings Point resident of over 26 years said he was worried about the projects’ effects on the village’s quality of life.
“I moved to Kings Point because we liked [its] bucolic nature,” he said.
Torkan raised concerns about setbacks for certain buildings that came close to the USMMA property lines, such as the mariner training center and the fieldhouse.
Shea said that the USMMA are neighbors in the village and that they wanted to hear any of their concerns, going so far as to tell everyone in the meeting his personal cell phone number.
Torkan suggested that the USMMA coordinate with the village architectural review board, and Shea said that they would.
“We are truly proud to have you,” Torkan said. “You’ve always been very responsible neighbors.”
The board also passed a resolution approving $450,000 for equipment for the Department of Public Works.
The most significant expense is $328,750 for a dump truck that the village will purchase through a state contract.
The village also approved the purchase of a jackhammer, salters, and a compressor.
Residents of Kings Court returned to petition the board to address the state and ownership of the road.
After reviewing records dating back a century, Torkan said, “It’s 100% a private road.”
Torkan said that the previous residents had ownership of the road, as it was marked in their deeds, but did not include the road in the deeds after selling the properties to the current residents.
Torkan said, “The board is prepared, if you repave the road properly and give a 5-foot easement, together with a quit-claim deal…under those terms, the village would consider taking the road and being responsible for the road going forward.”
Kings Court resident Robin Ashirzabh said he was concerned about having to give easements to the village, but the trustees assured him that this was routine.
Torkan said the village would send notices to Kings Court residents to figure this out, and going forward, all residents will have to agree to any plans for the road.
The board also unanimously passed a resolution allowing the village to plow private roads in case of an emergency.
The board approved a $50,000 contract with Green Landscaping to handle tree removal services and a $900,000 contract with Jamaica Ash & Rubbish Removal Inc. for the village’s garbage removal.
The board unanimously passed a resolution amending village code building permit late fees from stating that residents will receive a fine if they do not close a permit to stating that, if a resident does the most they can to close a permit, they will not receive a fine.
The board then approved a refund to the residents of 28 Martin Court for late permit fees, as the building department superintendent was on vacation when they attempted to close the permits.
The board will also rebid its drainage contract because the last company cancelled.
The next board of trustees meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 11.
